


Deck the Halls

by Salmon_I



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alien Hunters, Christmas Dates, Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Family Feels, Found Family Feels, Friendship, M/M, buffy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 23:21:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21877255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salmon_I/pseuds/Salmon_I
Summary: Michael was greeted by a grey fluffball with big green eyes when he opened the cabin door.“This little terror knocked over my tree twice.”  Isobel informed him.“There is nothing little about that cat.”  Michael replied.  He was pretty sure once she had finished growing, the cat would be almost as big as Buffy.“Max and Liz were due back an hour ago.”“Maybe they got stuck in traffic.”“Max hasn’t texted.”“They are on a date.  He might be a little preoccupied.” Michael smirked.“Please do not speculate on our brother’s sex life.  And take the cat.”
Relationships: Max Evans/Liz Ortecho, Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Comments: 12
Kudos: 54





	Deck the Halls

The Christmas light displays along the Pecos river lit up the night in a swirl of colors and movement. Liz snuck in a short video of one of the displays on her phone to message to her father - she was pretty sure he had been more excited to hear about the tickets Max had bought for the event than she was.

“Those tickets begin selling in October, mija! Max must have been planning this for quite a while.”

A forty-minute boat tour of Christmas lights probably wouldn’t have been her first choice for a winter date, to be honest, but Max had been quick to point out that no dancing was involved and it got them out of Roswell for a few hours.

The boat was full of other couples and families pointing out different displays excitedly, but something about the moment still felt serene. Towards the end of the tour, Liz leaned her head on Max’s shoulder and just watched the final displays pass by.

“Tired?” Max asked her, even as he leaned his head against hers gently.

“Comfortable. I may go to sleep on you, which is what you get for taking me on boat rides instead of dancing.”

Max gave a short laugh and turned his head to press a kiss to her hair. “I’ll embarrass you on the dance floor next date.” He promised.

“Deal. How do you think Isobel is doing with Bella?”

“I have about seven notifications I’ve been ignoring as they came in.”

“How much you want to bet she drops her off with Alex and Mikey before we get back?”

“Stop it, she adores her.”

“She adores her Christmas Tree more. Seriously, I’ll let you off the hook for dance night if I’m wrong.” Liz offered.

“You sure? Because you’re going to be wrong.” Max looked at her.

“I won’t be wrong.” Liz straightened and turned to him. “And if I’m right, you have to come to Christmas Carol Karaoke at the Wild Pony with me.”

“Oh, come on. That’s just painful.”

“So you admit, you’ll lose.”

“I am not losing. She’ll keep her until we get home.”

“No texting or sending psychic messages because that’s cheating.”

“No texting, no psychic messages. She’ll keep her until we get back.”

“Deal.” Liz offered her hand and they shook on it.

  
\-----

  
Michael was greeted by a grey fluffball with big green eyes when he opened the cabin door.

“This little terror knocked over my tree twice.” Isobel informed him.

“There is nothing little about that cat.” Michael replied. He was pretty sure once she had finished growing, the cat would be almost as big as Buffy.

“Max and Liz were due back an hour ago.”

“Maybe they got stuck in traffic.”

“Max hasn’t texted.”

“They are on a date. He might be a little preoccupied.” Michael smirked.

“Please do not speculate on our brother’s sex life. And take the cat.”

“It’s revenge, y’know.” Michael informed her as he took Bella into his arms. She was serene during the exchange, her tail twitching only slightly. “For all the pictures you’ve been forcing her to pose for all day.”

“You’ve been stalking your sister’s social media all afternoon?” Alex teased, coming up behind him.

Michael threw him a betrayed look over his shoulder. "You're supposed to be on my side."

Buffy scampered up and Isobel scowled at them as she knelt down to pet her. “I send you cute winter outfits and you dress poor Buffy in an ugly sweater.”

“You had Grizabella in reindeer ears.” Alex pointed out.

“Oh, so you were stalking her social media too.” Michael put in.

“I’ll text Max and let him know his little terror is here, and that he owes me for the broken ornaments. I’d watch your tree if I were you.”

“Um… yeah.” Alex glanced back into the cabin.

“Definitely.” Michael nodded.

Isobel’s eyes narrowed as she stood back up. “You do have a tree, don’t you?”

‘It’s… It’s being delivered tomorrow, actually.” Alex excused.

Michael tried not to snort. Isobel glanced at him suspiciously, and he quickly schooled his features. “It’s the truth.”

“Uh-huh.” Isobel crossed her arms. “You better have pictures of it up and decorated by tomorrow night or I’ll be forced to take things into my own hands - and you know that’s not an idle threat.”

Michael closed the door before setting Bella down. She jumped onto the couch, glaring at Buffy when she scampered over to sit next to her. “It really isn’t an idle threat, you know. Isobel is scary about these things.”

“She’s not scary.”

“Three years ago she secretly put reindeer antlers on my truck while I was at the Wild Pony.”

“So you’re really feeling for Grizabella right now.”

“Bella.” Michael corrected. He’d warned Liz that Max should not be trusted to name anything ever, but had she listened to him? At least she’d wrangled a decent nickname for the poor cat. “The point is if we do not send pictures of a decorated tree to Isobel tomorrow, she will come here and decorate the place herself.”

“So we’ll get a tree.” Alex was clearly amused.

Michael narrowed his eyes. “Do you even know where to get a tree in Roswell?”

“Don’t you?”

“Where would I have put a tree?”

Alex’s amusement softened to something closer to affection. “Well, we have a place to put one now, so… let’s get a tree.”

Michael felt a soft smile curve his own lips. “Yeah, okay. Let’s get a tree.”

\-----

It was hard for Liz to say if she'd lost consciousness. She hadn't been looking at the clock when yellow pollen had exploded over them both and Max had passed out - losing control of the car. The jeep had slammed into the guardrail, which was slightly preferable to running off the road, but her head was pounding from the impact. She cataloged the aches she knew would be worse in a few hours, even as she forced her body to move - to unbuckle her seatbelt and take stock of the situation.

She couldn't guess how much of the pollen Max had breathed in, but he was still unconscious from it. A hiss from the back seat was her only warning before more yellow pollen exploded over them both a second time. It didn't affect her the way it did Max's biology, but she still coughed when she breathed some in. The new layer of the poison couldn't be doing Max any good.

Her door was against the guardrail, which left Max's door as the only way out. He didn't even twitch as she climbed on him to open the door, which was concerning. More concerning, however, was the sound of another hiss from the backseat. Prepared this time, Liz covered her mouth, noting that the pollen was spraying out of the potted poinsettia they'd gotten earlier in the evening. It had been outside the restaurant they'd eaten dinner at, a small group of people handing them out to everyone passing by who would take one. Nothing about it had struck her as odd at the time. It had simply seemed like part of the holiday festivities going on around the town.

This was clearly a preplanned attack, though. Which meant someone had been watching them for a while. Her first priority was to keep any more of the pollen from getting to Max. Grabbing the poinsettia pot, she hurled it over the guardrail into the desert beyond, listening in satisfaction to it shatter in the distance. She checked her phone next, but there was no signal. At the moment she didn't see any other cars along the stretch of road, but that could change quickly.

"C'mon, Max. Wake up." Her words, unsurprisingly, had no effect. She had no way of knowing exactly how much pollen he'd been dosed with or how long he'd remain unconscious. Unbuckling his seatbelt, she swung one of his arms over her shoulder and tried to pull him up from the seat. She gave up with a groan. "Okay, that's not happening…"

Digging into the back of the Jeep, she pulled out a tarp and some nylon cord. "Knew I could count on you to be a boy scout." She began to tie the cord in a loop, glancing uneasily back down the highway. "Gonna have to make this fast, if I hurt you, I am so sorry." She pressed a kiss to his forehead before she began to pull the loop of the cord around him.

\-----

“Yeah, Liz, we do have your cat.” Michael picked up the call on the second ring but paused when no reply came. “Liz?” Hello?”

When Michael frowned at the phone screen, Alex sat up straighter from his comfortable position on the couch with Buffy on his lap. “Everything alright?” 

“I don’t know. We got disconnected.” Michael clicked a few buttons, raising it to his ear. “Straight to voicemail.”

“Well, if they’re still driving in from Carlsbad, there are some areas along the road where you lose reception.” Alex pulled out his own phone - calling up his traffic app. Buffy huffed at the lack of pets and moved to the other side of the couch. Bella, curled up on the back, opened one eye to watch her.

“I guess that might be all it is.” Michael sat on the arm of the couch since Buffy had stolen his seat. “I’m just going to…” He trailed off, closing his eyes. After several long moments of silence, he gave a huff of frustration. “Nothing. Max must be out of my range.”

“Isobel says you need to practice more.”.

Michael scowled down at him. “I regret introducing you two to each other.”

Alex gave a laugh. “No, you don’t. You love that I get along with your family.”

“You get along with Isobel.” Michael corrected pointedly.

“I get along with Max just fine.”

“You got into a brawl with Max. Kyle and I have never even gotten into a physical fight, but you two did.”

“Old news.” Alex insisted.

“That was six months ago.”

“Old news.” He repeated, before changing the subject. “By the way, I had a great idea about how to get a Christmas tree.” Michael gave him a suspicious look, which he ignored, handing him his phone so he could look at the search results.

  
\-----

The phone disconnected after two rings, as Liz lost the signal. She gave a curse at her luck, glancing around the empty desert landscape again. Max was tied into the tarp, which she’d been using to make it easier to drag him to safety. The jeep was still somewhat in view in the distance, but she’d stopped to try her phone again. If she could get a hold of someone in the group, they may be able to come get them and back them up against whoever had laid the trap. There was also the chance that Michael or Isobel might be under attack as well, which she couldn’t afford to think about right then - one crisis at a time.

Two cars pulled up to the Jeep, and Liz crouched down next to Max - watching. Three men stepped out of the vehicles - two aiming guns at the jeep before the third waved them away - noting it was empty. He stepped forward to gaze out at the darkness outside the car headlights. At the moment he was looking in the opposite direction than she’d taken them, but that could change.

“Miss Ortecho, I’m impressed.” He called out. “But I know you have to be close enough to hear me. You’re outnumbered, the alien is unconscious at best. Just turn him over to us, and you can go free. Nothing personal.”

Alex had been working on shutting down various alien-hunting programs since he first discovered Project Shepherd. Some of the people who’d been involved over the years had proven more dedicated than others, though. This wasn’t the first attack the group had endured, but it was the first in quite some time. Liz was no optimist, but she had begun to hope that they’d seen the last of them.

“Do a sweep.” The man told the other two, and they turned on flashlights as they made their way into the desert, thankfully on the other side of the highway first. Unfortunately, the leader didn’t follow - and she knew that attempting to pull Max farther would make too much noise.

It was Max they wanted, which meant she needed to lead them away. There were rocks around her on the desert floor, and Liz picked one up - scratching a message into the dirt quickly. When she’d finished, she leaned down to press a kiss to Max’s lips, lingering for a moment to gather herself. Then she moved away from him - still keeping the road in sight.

When she was a safe distance away, with Max no longer visible to her, she picked up a rock and hurled it - the thud was not as satisfying as she’d hoped, and the leader on the highway didn’t even turn. “C’mon…” She picked up another and threw it again - aiming for the guardrail this time. The sound was much more satisfying, and as the alien hunters began to shout at each other, she started running, making as much noise as possible.

\-----

“Let’s get a Christmas tree, Michael. We can cut down our own, it isn’t rocket science, Michael. I’m a regular Paul Bunyan, Michael.”

“Okay, so it wasn’t my best idea.” Alex was forced to admit, seeing as there had ended up being a couple of extra steps involved than he’d originally thought when the notion had struck him.

“It’s still dark out.”

“It’s six.”

“Why are we out of bed at six again?”

“Because we need a permit before we can chop down a tree. And we have to go somewhere to get the permit.”

“I feel like this whole idea is starting to get out of control.” Michael pointed out.

He probably wasn’t wrong. “I thought the permit would be available on-line. What kind of permit isn’t available to print off a computer?”

“Permits to cut down Christmas trees, apparently.”

There had been a brief argument over vehicles because Buffy and Bella were going to have to come with them, and Alex’s SUV was probably better for transporting all four of them, but Michael had pointed out that his truck would be better for transporting the actual tree. Michael had won out, and Buffy was currently on the seat between them happy as a lark. Bella had not been pleased with the lack of places to perch in Michael’s truck - having unsuccessfully attempted both the tiny ridge of dash and the back of the bench seat. Both had proven too narrow and she was currently in the footwell on the passenger side, attacking Alex’s shoelaces.

Alex pointedly ignored Michael’s jibe. “Did you text Liz?”

“Yeah, but I still haven’t heard back.”

“If they got in late, they might still be asleep.”

“Because they aren’t waking up at the crack of dawn to go get a permit to cut down a tree.”

“We could always let Isobel decorate for us.”

“You don’t play fair at all.” Michael complained.

“...you know me, I play to win.” Alex’s tone wasn’t quite as playful as the words implied, and Michael glanced over to find him watching him.

He hesitated a moment before replying. “I’m glad you do.”

  
\-----

The sun was beginning to rise, painting the sky and landscape in yellow and oranges when Max gasped awake. For a moment he struggled against the ropes around him, as his mind tried to catch up on events. His body ached all over, and he remembered the cloud of yellow pollen. Then nothing. He must have passed out and crashed the jeep. “Liz? Liz!”

He wasn’t as good at telekinesis yet as Isobel, and nowhere near Michael’s level, but he could manage to untie the tarp from around him. Remnants of the yellow pollen still clung to his coat, and despite the chill of the desert morning, he shrugged it off. He could see where the jeep had crashed into the guardrail. Two unknown vehicles were parked in front of and behind it, but there was no one in sight.

“Liz!” He shouted again.

As he stood, he paused when he saw a message etched into the dirt beside him.

‘Follow Me.’

Max allowed himself to feel relief at the message, resting his hand on the letters. Clearly, though, something was wrong, and he didn’t have much time. He didn’t even know exactly how long he’d been out or when Liz had written the message. Closing his eyes, he reached out to where he could feel the connection between Liz and himself, and he followed it.

\-----

There was an array of ghost towns and abandoned buildings dotting the southwest. Liz wasn’t sure if the building she found belonged to a forgotten town, or had once been privately owned and fallen into disrepair. She’d been leading the alien hunters on a wild goose chase for hours. She was exhausted, and the dilapidated structure gave her some much-needed cover.

Inside it was dusty, and probably not structurally safe, but at least she was hidden from sight. She pulled out her phone, and barely resisted shouting in relief when she saw she had a signal. She dialed Michael’s number first, but frowned when it went to voicemail. She was about to try Isobel’s number next when a flash of green light filled the building.

She scrambled to her feet, instinct registering a threat in the sudden appearance of someone else. Then her mind caught up with what she was seeing. “Max!”

“Liz!”

Liz launched herself at him, curling her arms around his shoulders. “You’re alright. You’re safe.”

“I’m fine.” Max returned the embrace, some of the tension in his body easing. “Are you?”

“I am now.”

“Where are we? What happened?”

“I have… no idea where we are.” Liz admitted, stepping reluctantly back. “There was this pollen mister - it must have had some sort of timer on it, and then these alien hunters showed up. I’ve been leading them around all night - they can’t be far. We need to go.”

“I’m not sure my jeep will work, and I don’t exactly have a clear fix on that - it’s just a stretch of road. I’m not even sure what the mile marker is.”

“Michael didn’t pick up, do you think he and Isobel…?”

“One way to find out. You ready?” He held out his hand, which she took without hesitation. Max closed his eyes, concentrating. “I think I can hone in on Michael.”

There was the sound of footsteps from outside in the front area of the building.. “They’re coming.” She warned him.

“Hold on.”

There was a flash of green light before bullets peppered the building, shredding through the old wooden walls of the structure. When the door was kicked open by their pursuers a moment later, nobody was inside to be found.

  
\-----

  
It had seemed like such an easy, simple task. Domestic even. Isobel had threatened them for proof of a tree, and it had turned out Michael had never had one of his own before. It was the perfect opportunity to start a new tradition for both of them. Thousands of people managed to do such a simple task without problems annually. It had started out well enough, despite Michael’s teasing and complaints. They’d gotten their permit. They’d gone to one of the indicated areas on the maps to choose a tree.

In retrospect, Max and Liz not getting in contact before morning should have made obvious what was about to happen, Alex admitted to himself as he squared off with two armed gunman with an axe. Michael had stopped the first set of bullets mid-air with his mind, but their assailants seemed to be gearing up for round two Their lack of reaction to his telekinesis had all sorts of alarm bells going off in Alex’s head. Alien hunters, his mind provided unhelpfully.

“We just want the alien.” One told him.

“Over my dead body.” Alex replied.

“Your funeral.”

Michael caught the second set of bullets, but Alex saw one pull out a canister, and cursed. He had no doubt some of the orchid pollen was inside. Before he could move, though, a green flash filled the area. When the light faded, Max and Liz had appeared out of nowhere next to them. It wasn’t the first time Alex had seen one of them teleport, but it was rare and drained a lot of their energy.

Their sudden appearance caused the two men to freeze, and Alex switched his grip on the axe - tossing it at the man with the canister. He dodged, dropping it harmlessly to the ground, unopened. There was a brief moment where he wondered if they would try to shoot again, but apparently the loss of the pollen and the appearance of more opponents were more than the job was worth. They took off in the opposite direction, disappearing among the trees with an ease that Alex knew he’d have to revisit later. It spoke of skill some of the previous alien hunters had lacked.

“Okay, so you’re throwing axes now… is it a bad time to mention that’s pretty hot?” Michael said, his tone only partway joking despite the situation.

“Terrible timing, but remind me to revisit the thought later.” Alex shot back, still keeping one eye on the trees around them for another attack.

Max suddenly sagged, stumbling slightly, and Michael jumped forward to help catch him. “How far did you teleport?”

“Twice.” Max admitted.

“Twice what?”

“He teleported twice.” Liz provided.

“Shit, Max.” Michael took his weight. “You get attacked too?”

“Last night on the way home.” Liz answered again, taking Max’s other arm - more to be near him than take any of his weight off Michael.

“Isobel.” Max spoke up.

“You aren’t teleporting again, and I can’t take four of us on my own.” Michael told him.

“I can call her.” Alex offered.

“No signal.” Liz told him, already checking her phone.

“Let’s just take the truck.” Michael cut in. “You can lie down in the back.”

Alex grabbed the Axe back up, along with the canister - he wasn’t about to let the alien hunters retrieve the weapon and use it later. “Let’s go.”

  
\-----

Two police cars were outside of Isobel’s house.

Despite his exhaustion, Max was the first one in through the door. “Isobel!”

Isobel turned from where she was talking to Sheriff Valenti. “Hey, you okay?”

“What happened? Are you okay?” Max asked, looking her over for injuries.

“It was a break-in attempt, but your sister handled it before calling us. Johnson has the perp and is going to take him to the station right now.” Sheriff Valenti told him. “I should have hired your sister instead of you, Evans.”

“Funny.” Max told her.

“I’ll call you if I remember anything else.” Isobel told her.

“We’ll let you know if we learn anything on our end.” Sheriff Valenti assured her, before leaving.

“What happened to your head?” Isobel noted the injury he’d received when he crashed the jeep. It was a small bump, and he hadn't really paid any intention to it so far.

“We were in a car accident. They used some sort of pollen time bomb on Max. I had no signal last night and Michael didn’t pick up his phone this morning.” Liz put in.

“Someone took me to the middle of the wilderness with poor reception to chop down a tree.” Michael protested.

“There were also alien hunters.” Alex pointed out. “They must be from the last project. They seemed pretty trained.”

“Luckily nobody was badly hurt.” Max reassured her.

Isobel glared at Michael and Alex. “So, you weren’t planning on getting a Christmas Tree. Were you?”

“That is what you got from all of this?” Michael asked her.

“I learned everything else from the mind of the guy who broke in. He was mostly a grunt, but I got the gist of the operation, including headquarters location.” Isobel shrugged. “You two, though. I bet you didn’t even get the tree.”

“Unbelievable.”

“Who has Grizabella by the way?” Max asked. He’d been too tired on the trip down to notice his surroundings.

“Bella.” Michael and Liz corrected in unison.

“She’s in Michael’s truck cab.” Alex volunteered the information.

“That’s right. Isobel gave Bella to Michael and Alex.” Liz grinned.

“Now wait a minute.” Max turned to her.

“Hey, Alex, Max is coming to Christmas Carol Karaoke. So you and Mikey have to come too.”

“Seriously, Max?” Alex gave him an exasperated look.

“Why do I have to come?” Michael asked.

“Because if I have to suffer, so do you.”

“Hey, attacks by alien hunters are extenuating circumstances.” Max protested.

“No, you said she’d keep her until we got home, it absolutely counts.” Liz disagreed.

“Which reminds me you owe me about seventy-five dollars in broken ornaments.” Isobel cut in.

“Why can’t you just string popcorn like a normal person?” Max asked her.

“Let’s get out of here while can.” Michael suggested to Alex.

“We want our cat back.” Liz reminded them.

“You aren’t getting out of this just because of alien hunters.” Isobel turned back to them. “Tree. Pictures. Tonight.”

“We should probably compare notes.” Liz mentioned. “We can all get trees tomorrow.”

“Fine.” Isobel relented.

“We already have a tree.” Max pointed out.

“You have a big house. You can have two.” Isobel crossed her arms, smiling at him pointedly.

“Plenty of room.” Max relented.

“Told you she was scary about this.” Michael whispered to Alex.

“I didn’t catch that.” Isobel glared at him.

“We should have eggnog while we discuss this.” Michael suggested instead, and Isobel shot him a glare. “Or hot toddies?”

“I have the makings for both.” Isobel assured him, turning toward the kitchen. “C’mon.”

“I’ll get Grizabella and Buffy. Keys?” Alex held out his hand to Michael, who handed them off.

“I’ll help.” Liz volunteered.

‘Traitor.’ Max mouthed at her from behind Isobel’s back.

‘I love you.’ She mouthed back, before following Alex out to Michael’s truck. “Did you really take Michael to cut down your own Christmas tree?”

“Yes, and it would have been a great morning if we weren’t attacked.” Alex told her. “How was the lame date to view Christmas lights?”

“It wasn’t lame, it was sweet.” Liz protested as he handed her Bella. “We had dinner at the YellowBrix restaurant, we snuggled on a boat. We got poinsettias, which turned out to be an orchid pollen time bomb, but it’s the thought that counts.”

Alex grinned as he picked Buffy up and shut the truck door. “So alien hunters aside, it’s a great start to the holidays.”

“Alien hunters aside.” Liz agreed, as Bella bumped her forehead pointedly against her. “C’mon, Bella, I’ll let you knock over Aunt Iz’s tree again as revenge for the reindeer antlers.”

“Oh, so you stalk Isobel’s social media, too.”

“Doesn’t everybody?”

**Author's Note:**

> Isobel is definitely the group's queen of social media that they all follow. And Max absolutely would name an adopted cat Grizabella the Glamour Cat and nobody can convince me otherwise.


End file.
